Bipasha Basu

Biography

Bipasha Basu (Bengali pronunciation: [bipaʃa boʃu]; born 7 January 1979) is an Indian former actress. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she has received a Filmfare Award. One of the leading faces in the 2000s and early 2010s, she is known for her work in the thriller and horror genres and for several item numbers and is frequently cited in the media as a sex symbol and a scream queen of her times. Born in Delhi and raised in Kolkata, Basu pursued a successful career as a fashion model. She then began receiving offers for film roles and made her acting debut with the thriller Ajnabee (2001), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Basu's first leading role was in the horror film Raaz(2002), for which she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her career progressed with a leading role in the erotic thriller Jism (2003) and in two consecutive annual top-grossing films, No Entry (2005) and Dhoom 2 (2006). Basu's other commercially successful films include the drama Corporate (2006), the comedies Phir Hera Pheri (2006) and All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), the thriller Race (2008), and the romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). In the 2010s, she starred in the horror films Raaz 3D (2012), Aatma (2013), Creature 3D (2014) and Alone (2015). This was followed by a hiatus during which her sole appearance was in the thriller series Dangerous (2020). In addition to acting in films, Basu is a fitness enthusiast who has featured in several fitness videos. She hosted the horror series Darr Sabko Lagta Hai in 2015. Following high-profile relationship with actor and model Dino Morea and John Abraham, Basu married actor Karan Singh Grover in 2016, with whom she has one daughter. With a networth of 150 Crore INR(US$16 million), she is one of the richest female celebrities in India.

== Early life and education == Bipasha Basu was born on 7 January 1979 to a Bengali family. Her father, Hirak, is a civil engineer, and her mother, Mamta, is a homemaker. She has one elder sister, Bidisha, and one younger sister, Vijayeta. According to Basu, her name means "deep, dark, desire". In Delhi, Basu lived at Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place until age eight and studied at Apeejay High School. Her family then moved to Kolkata, where she attended Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir in Bidhannagar. In her school, Basu was appointed as the head girl and was fondly called 'Lady Goonda' due to her short and commanding personality.

== Modelling career == In 1996, Basu was spotted at a hotel in Kolkata by the model Mehr Jesia Rampal, who suggested she take up modelling. That year, she participated in and eventually won the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest (organised by Ford), thereby representing India at Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest in Miami. Actor Vinod Khanna, who was one of the judges in the contest, wanted to cast her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in the romance Himalay Putra (1997). Basu felt she was too young and declined the role, which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. She later appeared in a Calida commercial with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea, which was controversial for picturing them in a sultry context; she had protesters outside her house as a result.

With appearances on several magazine covers, Basu continued to pursue a career in fashion modeling during her late teens. At some point, Basu was approached to star opposite Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta's Aakhari Mughal, which was supposed to be Bachchan's launch film. However, the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead made the romantic drama Refugee with Kareena Kapoor. Basu was offered a role opposite Sunil Shetty in Refugee, which she declined. In 1999, Basu featured in an advertisement with Vivek Oberoi, that was banned from broadcast on Indian television due to scenes that were considered 'bold' at the time, but the ad found its way on social media several years later. Following her transition into acting, Basu continued to appear occasionally in fashion shows and modeling assignments. In 2013, she walked the ramp at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer-Resort for designers Shantanu & Nikhil. Reflecting on the experience, Basu remarked that returning to the runway reminded her of her early modeling days and noted that "modeling is a tough life."

== Acting career ==

=== Debut, breakthrough and rise to prominence (2001–2005) === Basu finally made her acting debut in a negative role opposite Akshay Kumar in Abbas–Mustan's action thriller Ajnabee (2001) which also starred Kapoor and Bobby Deol. The film was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults (1992). Ajnabee received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with particular praise for Basu's performance, and it emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box-office. Her performance in the film also earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

Basu achieved her breakthrough with Vikram Bhatt's supernatural horror thriller Raaz (2002), which was the first instalment of the Raaz film series. Based on the Hollywood film What Lies Beneath (2000), it also starred Dino Morea and debutante Malini Sharma. Portraying a woman in a failing marriage who discovers that her husband is part of a ghostly conspiracy haunting their new home, the film earned Basu widespread critical acclaim and established her in the Hindi film industry. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Basu who steals the show with her impactful performance." The film also emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, ranking as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Raaz earned Basu her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She next starred in Sanjay Gadhvi's romantic comedy Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002) alongside Uday Chopra, Jimmy Sheirgill and debutante Tulip Joshi. It opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for Basu's performance, and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box office. Her next film that year, David Dhawan's action comedy Chor Machaaye Shor alongside Deol, emerged as her first critical and commercial failure. The same year, she made her Telugu film debut with a supporting role in the revisionist western film Takkari Donga opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray. Her next film, the thriller Gunaah, again opposite Morea, also emerged as a critical and commercial failure. Her portrayal of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him earned her scathing reviews from critics, with Derek Elley of Variety stating that Basu was miscast as the "idealistic cop". In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism alongside debutant John Abraham, in which she portrayed the seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire, who indulges in an extramarital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. She and Abraham began a nine year long relationship while shooting for the film. It received mixed reviews upon release, but Basu earned praise for her portrayal of a femme fatale, with Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commenting, "...the real show stealer is Basu; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi." The film emerged as a sleeper hit at the box-office, with several trade analysts attributing its commercial success to Basu's popularity. Jism ranked at 92 in a poll conducted by Channel 4 the top 100 sexiest movie scenes. Basu's performance in the film earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Villain. However her next release, Rohit Shetty's directorial debut Zameen alongside Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan, emerged as a critical and commercial failure. Basu had five releases in 2004, all of which received scathing critical reviews and emerged as commercial disasters at the box office. She began the year with the musical romance Ishq Hai Tumse in her third collaboration with Morea. She then collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her next release, the psychological romantic thriller Aetbaar. She played the role of a young woman who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "... The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting." Her next film was Mani Shankar's fantasy science fiction film Rudraksh, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. She then starred in the supernatural horror film Rakht as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Shruti Bhasin of PlanetBollywood wrote, "Basu impresses in a different look and role." Her final release that year was Anil Sharma's psychological thriller Madhoshi opposite Abraham. Her performance of a mentally unstable woman was generally well received. In 2005, she appeared in the thriller Chehraa alongside Morea, which was a critical and commercial failure. This was followed by the musical love triangle Barsaat alongside Deol and Priyanka Chopra, which also received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh commented, "As an actor, she [Basu] does show sparks only towards the end." It also emerged as a commercial failure at the box office. She next starred in the Tamil romantic comedy Sachein, alongside Vijay and Genelia D'Souza, which proved to be a box office hit. She then appeared in Anees Bazmee's comedy No Entry which grossed ₹750 million (US$7.8 million) at the box office, ranking as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Basu portrayed a bargirl who acts as the wife of two men. The film received positive reviews, and she earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. Her last release of the year was Prakash Jha's crime action film Apaharan, alongside Devgn and Nana Patekar, which was a critical and commercial success. During this period, she refused to act in art films due to salary problems.

=== Commercial success and established actress (2006–2009) ===